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The Lewis Lockwood Award honors each year a musicological book of exceptional merit published during the previous year (2023) in any language and in any country by an early-career scholar who is a member of the AMS or a citizen or permanent resident of Canada or the United States. The award is named in honor of Lewis H. Lockwood, an American musicologist distinguished for his scholarship on the Italian Renaissance and the life and work of Ludwig van Beethoven.
“Early-career” is here defined as no more than twelve years beyond completion of the PhD degree. If you are an author who is more than twelve years beyond the PhD, a confidential eligibility appeal* can be submitted, please see below for additional details.
Nominations
To be eligible for the Lewis Lockwood Award, nominations must meet the following criteria. Eligible works:
- Must be authored by a member of the AMS or a citizen/permanent resident of Canada or the United States
- Must have been authored by a scholar who is no more than twelve years beyond completion of a PhD
- Must have been published during the previous calendar year (referring to the copyright year as found in the front matter of the published work)
- May be published in any language and in any country.
Nominations must be received via the AMS Award Nomination form by the submission deadline. Self-nominations are welcome, as well as nominations from colleagues and publishers.
A committee of five scholars will choose a single award recipient from all eligible candidates. Award winners will receive a monetary prize, a certificate, and recognition at the Annual Meeting of the Society. An individual may receive the award only once, but winning the Lockwood Award will not preclude an author from also winning the Otto Kinkeldey Award at a later stage of their career. A book may receive only one AMS award. Anyone may submit a nomination. Nominations, including self-nominations, must be submitted by 15 April.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are an author whose career trajectory does not technically fit the stated eligibility criteria for “early career professional,” you may request that your article be considered if you can otherwise show that you are still in the early stages of your musicology research or teaching career. Such requests are kept confidential and if approved, will authorize you to nominate your work for the Lockwood Award. Eligibility appeals are generally granted to those whose publication does not fall within the twelve-year post terminal degree window because of delays caused by career switching, ill health, pregnancy, or other personal circumstances.
If you wish to make an eligibility appeal, please email your request and rationale to ams@amsmusicology.org at least six weeks prior to the award nomination deadline. Your email should specifically state the eligibility criteria that you do NOT meet and which you would like waived, and why. Decisions on eligibility appeals will be provided within one month of the submission of the appeal. If your eligibility is approved, you will be authorized to submit a nomination for the Lockwood Award. Your nominated work will still have to undergo the usual committee review process and meet all other applicable requirements.
Eligibility for the Lockwood Award is determined by the copyright date found on the imprint of a nominated publication. “Previous year” is defined as the calendar year preceding the award year. Publications in progress are not eligible for the Lockwood Award.
Self-nomination is encouraged! To nominate your own work for consideration, follow the procedures on the AMS Award Nominations form.
Past Recipients
View past recipients of the Lewis Lockwood Award.
Current Nominees
View current nominees for the Lewis Lockwood Award.
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